World T20 drama to make Stokes a better cricketer: Broad

LONDON: England all-rounder Ben Stokes will learn from his dreadful World Twenty20 experience and come back a stronger player, team mate Stuart Broad has said.

Stokes was hit for four successive sixes by West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite in the last over of the T20 final, the onslaught ending England’s hopes of a second title.

Broad, the world’s top-ranked test bowler, was famously blasted for six sixes by India’s Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 tournament but used the setback as motivation and has backed Stokes to follow suit.

“I wouldn’t be the bowler I am now without that experience,” Broad told British media.

“You’re dead right, people would have been sat there thinking: ‘Why did you go that way?’

“But you’ve got to go with what you feel is your strength, so as a player you’ll always have things you are confident in. I prefer a player to get it wrong going for something they believe is their strength than going to something that isn’t.

“Don’t be surprised if Stokesy now performs at a really high level because he’ll realise what went wrong and channel it the right way — he has an amazing talent.”

England kick off their three-match home test series against Sri Lanka at Headingley on Thursday, which will be followed by an ODI series.